Friday, April 1, 2016

With the entire party floating into the dark cave on a raft of their own construction, they came into a depressed pool in the center of a very large cavern. With various members taking turns peering over the rim and into the cave, it was Wang Du who spotted a large rat-like creature that ran off down a tunnel.

With the coast clear, the party decided to follow the creature down one of the many tunnels exiting from the large cavern. Thenus, tracked the creature through the dark tunnels and eventually up various natural 'stairs' including passing a deep stinking pit with a gurgling sound emanating from it's depths. It was here that Thenus discovered that the tracks changed from large rodent-like to more human. Hmm, were-rats perhaps?

Continuing up the stairs, the party found themselves at a dead end, and, Centari, searching for a secret door, discovered it.

Opening the stone door, the party entered into a type of torture chamber which they deduced was recently vacated due to the fact of an unfinished game of cards on a table. But upon exploring the horrific chamber, Thenus shouted out a warning and helped avoid an ambush from three hidden wererats! With a quick battle the lycanthropes were destroyed.

Listening to a wooden door, Wang heard hushed voices. Skwanky opened the door but received a pinprick that apparently had no ill affect on the halfling - or so it seemed. In the large chamber beyond were more wererats, a few giant rats and a cleric of the Black Church! With arrows and swords flashing, the rats were dispatched as were two of the were-creatures but one had escaped through a far doorway. As for the evil cleric, he was bewitched and under the control of Centari! Questioning the cleric, it is discovered that somewhere within these tunnels ruled a Rat-King who was working for a mysterious Red Wizard who lived in a distant tower in the Grimmwood. The Cleric was but a messenger between the Red Wizard and the Rat-King who was under orders from the wizard to poison the village of Berkenstok for some darker unknown purpose.

While the questioning was going on, Skwanky the halfling went pale and suddenly turned into a were-rat (due to the pin-prick at the door)! He hissed at his former friends and rushed out the far door.

With the questioning of the cleric complete, he was promptly murdered.

The party decided to go after Skwanky to try and save him and followed his path outside the door, down a short hall and to the entrance to a larger chamber. Feeling that their presence was known and that they were looking at an ambush, the party burst through the door. Beyond was a grotesque chamber painted in blood with scenes of were-rats eating humans and worshiping a giant rat-god. More of a concern, however, were the 50 crawling giant rats, the larger were-rat guards and a hulking Rat-king who quickly downed a potion and disappeared! But as the creatures rushed towards the door, Centari raised his hands, uttered some magic words and from his finger, a tiny spark flew which grew and grew until it engulfed the cursed hall in an explosive ball of flame!

With all the rat creatures dead and smouldering and the hulking Rat-king on the floor sizzling like bacon, the only one left standing from that barrage was Skwanky the were-rat, now blacked and burnt, who rushed his former compatriots! Wang Du stepped up and, with some mystical hand-kick-hand-finger combo, laid poor Skwanky onto the floor dead!

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I grew up with comics and got into D&D with Holmes Basic back in '78. I loved the game back then and played Champions, Top Secret, and tons of other games by SPI and Avalon Hill. Got out of gaming in the mid 80's and haven't played since. After Gary passed I discovered the Retro Clones and really got into the whole grass-roots DIY vibe. I have a sandbox campaign going since 2009 using Swords & Wizardry and some House Rules.